


Rainy Day Heartbeat

by swiftMartyrdom (gatonip)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Pre-Sgrub
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-29
Updated: 2011-06-29
Packaged: 2017-10-20 20:47:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/216946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gatonip/pseuds/swiftMartyrdom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The words ‘heart’ and ‘beat’ can be comprehended in two different ways, depending on if there is a space between them or not. When there’s no space, it’s ‘heartbeat’, the physical beat of the heart. When there’s a space, it’s ‘heart beat’, the action of the heart taking a beat.</p><p>When there’s no space between them, when she’s so close that he can feel her heart beat, his own heartbeat speeds up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rainy Day Heartbeat

**Author's Note:**

> They aren't my OTP but if Terezi/Karkat didn't exist (knock on wood) then Aradia/Sollux definitely would be.  
> Slightly OOC but that was planned, hopefully they're not too OOC. I just wanted him to be in a good mood for a bit and her to be energetic, not like her dead-self.
> 
> SONG INSPIRATION: You Make Me Smile - Uncle Kracker

Ever since they first came to the surface and began building their hives, the twelve young trolls had difficulty getting close with one another. The biggest problem by far was the physical distance between them. Some lived within a short distance of troll cities. Others lived as far away as in the heart of the woods. The highest of the highbloods even lived underwater. But despite the distance, the trolls ‘succumbed’ to the so-called troll disease of friendship.

Those friendships would give way to filling quadrants when they were older. Many relationships – both of the red and black kind – would blossom, strengthen, strain, and even disintegrate during the course of a game they would all play, called SGRUB.

But this story isn’t set during SGRUB. This is back during a time before a yellow blood would introduce the others to the game, before a red blood would find the game within the ruins she dwelled in, before things were completely hectic for them all.  
Back when things were 0kay.

\--apocalypseArisen [AA] began trolling twinArmageddons [TA] \--  
AA: hi s0llux!  
TA: hey aa what’2 up  
AA: n0t much, I’ve just been digging ar0und  
TA: fiind anythiing iintere2tiing?  
AA: n0t yet, but I had t0 st0p f0r t0day  
AA: it’s raining and everything’s getting muddy  
TA: eww you’re gonna get all diirty  
AA: that's why I'm inside silly  
TA: oh haha  
AA: but n0w I’m b0red, my plans f0r t0day are ruined  
AA: can’t dig in the rain, and the 0thers w0uldn’t want t0 get wet either s0 n0 FLARP game  
TA: aww that 2uck2  
TA: ii’m bored two, and the bee2 are beiing iiriitable cuz they can’t go outsiide  
AA: y0u sh0uld c0me 0ver!  
AA: I mean if y0u want t0  
AA: and if y0ur lusus is 0kay with it  
TA: ii’m sure he’ll be fiine wiith iit  
TA: even iif he iisn’t ii’ll ju2t briibe hiim wiith more honey  
TA: hold on a 2ec  
AA: 0kay  
TA: he’2 fiine wiith iit  
TA: a2 long a2 ii’m home before sunup  
AA: awes0me!  
AA: s0 I’ll see y0u in a while?  
TA: yep  
TA: see you then  
\-- twinArmaggedons [TA] ceased trolling apocalypseArisen [AA] \--

Aradia closed the chat window and quickly browsed through the rest of Trollian. Sollux lived pretty far away from her, and considering that it was always a hassle to travel in the rain, she knew he wouldn’t arrive for a while. She was 0kay with that. She’d just talk with someone else while she waited.

How serendipitous! Someone was trying to contact her.

\--  adiosToreador [AT] began trolling apocalypseArisen [AA] \--  
AT: hI, aRADIA,}:)  
AA: hell0 tavr0s h0w are y0u?  
AT: i’M GOOD THANKS, hOW ARE YOU,  
AA: I’m fine, wish it wasn’t raining th0ugh  
AT: mE TOO, i LIKE IT, sUNNY,  
AT: i GUESS WE CAN’T, uHH, fLARP TODAY THEN,  
AA: I’m afraid n0t  
AA: maybe t0m0rr0w it will be nicer  
AT: i HOPE SO,  
AT: vRISKA IS, uHH, nOT VERY HAPPY ABOUT THIS, dEVELOPMENT,  
AT: sHE KEEPS COMPLAINING,,, aND, iNSULTING ME A BIT,  
AT: sHE SAYS, iT’S MY FAULT THAT, iT’S RAINING,  
AA: d0n’t listen t0 her  
AA: the idea is absurd  
AA: h0w c0uld y0u have p0ssibly caused it t0 rain?  
AT: tHAT’S WHAT, i SAID,  
AT: bUT SHE STILL SEEMS CONVINCED,  
AA: she’s just t0ying with y0u  
AA: d0n’t let her get t0 y0u  
AT: i’LL, tRY,  
AT: sHE’S, uHH, a LOT CRANKIER, wHEN IT RAINS,  
AA: that d0esn’t surprise me  
AA: she can’t get her lusus f00d in the rain  
AA: she’s pr0bably giving her hell  
AT: oH,  
AT: tHAT MUST SUCK, }:(  
AT: mAYBE HER SISTER CAN, cALM HER DOWN  
AT: uHH, tEREZI,  
AA: perhaps  
AA: she can keep her under c0ntr0ll m0st 0f the time  
AT: yEAH,  
AT: oH, vRISKA IS, tROLLING ME,  
AT: i SHOULD PROBABLY, uHH, sEE WHAT SHE WANTS,  
AA: 0kay  
AA: d0n’t let her get y0u d0wn!  
AT: tHANKS, aRADIA,  
AT: sEE YOU TOMORROW, }:)  
AA: bye tavr0s  
\-- adiosToreador [AT] ceased trolling apocalypseArisen [AA] \--

She closed this chat window as well. Oh Vriska. She was always causing trouble. But, Aradia supposed, if she had a spider beast of a lusus threatening to eat her when there was a shortage of food, she would have a warped sense of moral, too.

Indeed, after many events Vriska’s sense of moral would be questioned in the future; her upbringing may or may not have been the direct cause of her “warped sense of moral”.

But that would happen in due time. The future can wait. The present, however, cannot.

Aradia glanced over at the clock nearest her, a bit surprised. How time flies when you’re consoling your FLARPing partner and pondering the life of a problematic Scorpio! Sollux shouldn’t be long now.

She moved her gaze from the clock down to herself and realized there was mud all over her clothes. Archaeology was sure a messy hobby. But she enjoyed it just the same. Wiping her hand across her skirt smeared the still-wet mud more. This wasn’t 0kay. No, she wouldn’t let Sollux see her in such a mess. She should change into something more presentable.

Aries shirt, skirt, Aries shirt, skirt, Aries shirt, skirt...not a vast variety of clothing, but then again her tastes in clothes was never as grand as, say, the Virgo living somewhere down the way. Kanaya, yes that was her name. Aradia wasn’t as fashion chic as Kanaya, but that was 0kay. Her simple wardrobe would suffice. Hmm, suffice. That’s a peculiar word. So is peculiar. As she crawled out of her dirty clothes and dressed into a new outfit, Aradia pondered why she was thinking up such strange words. Must be the others’ speech habits rubbing off on her.

Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard two sharp knocks coming from downstairs. That must be Sollux. She quickly glanced at herself in the mirror by her door and decided she looked much better now. The wonders a clean outfit can do to one’s appearance. Aradia bounded down the stairs, careful to avoid her sleeping lusus who had decided to nap on the bottom step. Silly Rammom, for one who doesn’t sleep in a recuperacoon, you choose such strange places to sleep instead! She reached the door and found a very wet Sollux standing behind it. Despite the dampness, he still smiled at her.

"Hey AA."

"S0llux! 0h y0u’re s0aking wet, c0me inside I’ll get y0u a t0wel!"

"Thankth. It’th practically down pouring out there."

"F0ll0w me, and be careful of Ramm0m."

Aradia led Sollux upstairs, both cautious to not wake Aradia’s lusus. Better to just let her sleep than wake her for no reason.

Once they reached her room, Aradia immediately started searching for a towel for Sollux, while he kept up a conversation.

"Tho, you thaid you’re thtill digging, right?"

"Yep. Imagine all the things hiding under the gr0und, just waiting t0 be dug up!"

"What kind of thtuff?"

"0h y0u kn0w, 0ld rec00perac00ns and stuff 0ur ancest0rs used. I bet we c0uld find stuff 0ur parents used!"

"But we’re with them all the time, why would we wanna have they’re thupid junk?"

"N0 silly, 0ur PARENTS, n0t 0ur lusii! Like, the 0nes wh0 filled pails t0 make us. Here’s a t0wel- 0h wait never mind it’s just a blanket."

"Our parentth? They jutht left uth to go in the military, why thhould we care about them if they obviouthly don’t care about uth?"

"I d0n’t think that’s true. I bet they care ab0ut us, but by j0ining the military, they can pr0tect Alternia, and theref0re us. S0 it was the 0nly l0gical choice. F0und 0ne!"

Aradia handed Sollux the towel she had finally found hiding on one of her shelves. But it was obvious after a moment that just one towel wasn’t going to cut it; the puddle forming on the floor would need a towel all on its own, and that would leave it too soaked to do Sollux any good. So she went back to searching. Sollux placed the towel on the floor and stood on it so as to soak up any excess water dripping from him.

"Ugh I really need t0 clean up ar0und here... what d0 y0u kn0w, Ramm0m was right all al0ng! Um...what were we talking ab0ut again?"

"Our parentth out who-knowth-where in thpathe."

"0h right. Yeah we can find a wh0le l0t 0f things fr0m them undergr0und!"

"I’m guething you didn’t end your thearch right away when the rain tharted, huh?"

"What makes y0u say that?"

"Well, I can tell you changed. Your dirty clotheth are in a pile over there!"

"Damnit...I really need t0 clean up..."

"I’ll thay, it’th thuch a meth in here!"

In response, Aradia flung a newfound towel in his face with a smirk.

"0h thut up, Thollux!"

"Oh you did NOT jutht make fun of my lithp!"

"Maybe I did. Whatcha g0nna d0 ab0ut it?"

"Hmm, well conthidering I’m wet and you’re not, I thhould even the oddth, don’t you think?"

He hugged Aradia from behind, which startled the girl; she hadn’t seen him sneaking up behind her, too focused on towel searching to consider checking.

"N0! S0llux st0p it I’m getting wet!"

"That wath the plan!"

Despite starting to get damp by Sollux’s sudden embrace, Aradia couldn’t help but laugh.

"C0mm0n, y0u’re wet and c0ld!"

"Better find thome more towelth then, huh?"

"Ugh..."

Luckily she happened upon an entire stack of towels, and got to work drying herself and Sollux.

"L00k what y0u did, n0w I’m damp!"

"Who, me?"

"D0n’t act s0 inn0cent, mister."

"Oh look at thith, my thhirt’th tho wet I can wring it out!"

To prove his point, he did so, leaving a little puddle on the floor at their feet.

"L00ks like y0u need a dry shirt. Hang on..."

"Thhirt hunting time?"

"N0pe, I kn0w where they are!"

She ran – no correction, slid (there was way too much water on the floor now to run without slipping, and her socks made excellent water skis) – over to her closet and pulled a shirt off a hanger, then ran – again, slid – back and presented the shirt to him.

"...thith ith a girl’s thhirt."

"That’s such a sh0ck c0nsidering I’m a girl and this is MY respiteblock."

"Ha ha ha. But theriouthly I don’t think it will fit me."

"Sure it will. Y0u’re as thin as a p0le, any size shirt will fit y0u."

"Oh fine. But I’m not wearing one of your thkirtths. I have THOME dignity."

"Y0u’ll have n0 dignity if y0u g0 pants-less. And my lusus w0uldn’t be thrilled with me being al0ne with a b0y wh0’s n0t wearing pants."

Sollux’s face flushed with his trademark mustardy yellow color, which just made her laugh. She went back to her closet and grabbed a skirt, which she flung his way. He sat there a moment just looking at the clothes, but not doing anything.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Get dressed. D0 I have t0 spell it 0ut? G-E-T space D-R-"

"I can’t get drethed with you watching me!"

"Why n0t?"

"Well let’th thee, I’m a boy, you’re a girl, and boyth aren’t thuppothed to get drethed in front of girls!"

"I d0n’t have a pr0blem with it. I’m 0kay with it."

"But I’m not!"

"S0 we’re different genders, what’s the big deal?"

"It’th tho a big deal! You’re not thuppothed to thee my...my partth!"

"I d0n’t care if I d0, it d0esn’t mean anything. W0uld y0u feel better if I sh0wed y0u MY parts?"

Aradia seemed to put her hands on her hips, but in actuality she was trying to tug down her skirt. Sollux flushed a brighter yellow than he had before.

"N-NO DON’T DO THAT!!!"

"Why n0t?"

"IT’TH WORTHE IF I THEE YOUR PARTTH THAN IF YOU THEE MY PARTTH!!!"

Aradia laughed at the look on his face, which in her opinion was the most ridiculous face she’d ever seen him make. His lisp didn’t make his arguing any less funny. She folded her arms over her chest and shook her head at him.

"I g0t y0u g00d, S0llux!"

"Huh?"

"Y0u really think I w0uld sh0w y0u anything? Haha I’m n0t that easy, Capt0r!"

"Tho you were jutht kidding?"

"0f c0urse. Y0u can get dressed, I w0n’t l00k. Swearzies."

She turned around so she was facing away from him. For a moment he remained sitting, still dumbstruck and confused that the argument had all been a ruse. But after assuring himself she wouldn’t turn around, he changed out of his drenched clothes and into hers.

Aradia meanwhile stood with her back to him, humming a little and spacing out while she waited. She loved whenever Sollux came over, even if it wasn’t very often. They always had silly fun like this, and his ever-changing emotions kept their conversations interesting. She enjoyed listening to his lisp better than reading a bunch of 2’s over Trollian. She enjoyed listening to him, period. He had so many interesting things to say about programming and such, and he seemed mildly entertained by her budding archaeology interest. When they didn’t discuss those things, they compared experiences with the voices of the dead. Pleasantly, the voices had quieted a bit recently and left them to their own devices. But when they got to be insufferable, it was nice to have someone who could relate.

It was kind of a funny thing, but it seemed (at least to those around them) that they acted a bit differently around each other than with the others. Sollux was still as bipolar as ever, yes, but he wasn’t so down on himself when she was with him, and his mood was more often a happy one than anything else. She too acted different; she was more bubbly and energetic, the way she often was during FLARP games, but even more so. Aradia never picked up on this herself, but the Scourge Sisters and Tavros often pointed it out to her. Admittedly Vriska did it as more of a tease but nevertheless.

Thinking about that reminded Aradia of a conversation she had had with her lusus not long ago. Well, more of an argument than anything. But essentially, what they had been arguing about was her lusus’ assumption that Aradia and Sollux were in a reddom relationship, of the flushed variety. Aradia had blushed such a deep color red that day. In truth (though she would never tell her lusus, too embarrassing), they had reached an unofficial agreement of matespritship. They just chose not to flaunt it around like other trolls, or make a big deal out of it. In private it was more obvious; in public it took a while to pick up on it. And Aradia wouldn’t have it any other way.

The poor girl knew not of the hardships that were to come, some of which were specific to those red feelings she was pondering over now. The voices of the dead wouldn’t warn her until after her impending doom what would become of her and her matesprit. That in time, she might flush for another troll, and he as well.

But for the moment, she was snapping out of her train of thought yet again. This was 0kay with her, because what interrupted it was definitely worth it.

"Okay, you can turn around now."

So she did. And burst out laughing.

"Quit it! It’th your fault for giving me girl clotheth to wear!"

"Aw c0mm0n y0u l00k fine!"

"Then why are you laughing?!"

"Um I just remembered a funny j0ke?"

"Yeah, thure. Ugh let’th thee the damage..."

Sollux walked over to the mirror and peered in at himself.

"Actually, it doethn’t look that bad. I can pull of the girl look pretty good, I think."

He nodded as if agreeing with himself.

"Why don’t boyth wear thkirtth? They’re tho comfortable and they can’t rub you the wrong way. I thhould get GA to make me one, all the guyth would be tho jealouth!"

Aradia just laughed more at how silly her friend was being, doing a little strut in front of the mirror and admiring his new look.

Sollux knew he was being silly, but he didn’t care. Being silly sometimes was fun. He enjoyed being silly during his good moods, and he especially enjoyed being silly when Aradia was around. She always laughed at his antics and he loved the sound of her laugh. He smiled suddenly as a thought came to his mind, one sure to make her crack up.

Turning away from the mirror and facing Aradia, he replaced his smile with a sassy pout that felt so out of place to him.

"Common, AA. Don’t hate on me jutht cuz I’m fabulouth."

That was all Aradia could stand. She started laughing so hard that pale red tears formed at the corners of her eyes, and she dropped to her knees, unable to stay standing.

And so the rest of the afternoon went this way, with antic after silly antic. First a mock fashion show featuring blankets and Aradia’s fall and winter clothing (they wouldn’t touch her summer things; “y0u may be ‘fabulouth’, but I’m n0t letting y0u wear my bikini!”). Later, a couple computer games she had lying around as previous Wriggling Day presents.

Then came a game of Troll Life, which documented the life cycle of their pretend wrigglers. Troll Life was always a fun game for young trolls, as they could play all of life’s possibilities while in the comfort of their own respiteblock, and without actually going through them. Such a fun game full of silly antics. Definitely a game that all wrigglers should experience at least once in their young lives.

Aradia’s favorite part of the game was whenever she landed on a “The Imperial Drone Knocks on Your Door!” space. It was now that Aradia landed on this space, and clapped her hands happily at what she considered her good fortune.

"0h l00k, I landed on the Imperial Dr0ne space!"

"You alwayth get tho thrilled when you land there, how come?"

"Because, in this game there’s n0 way I can die when it c0mes, s0 n0w I get t0 fill s0me pails and make a new wriggler!"

"...that’th tho thuggethtive it’th almotht not funny."

"0h be quiet, y0u’re just jeal0us!"

"Yeth, I’m tho jealouth that I don’t get little plathtic pails now, take pity on me."

"Y0u said it, n0t me."

"Ugh whatever. Jutht take your fail pails tho I can go!"

Aradia grabbed 1 little red pail piece and 1 little black pail piece and placed them both at the beginning of the board, where the board was dark in color to represent the caverns. Two other pails already occupied the caverns, bringing Aradia’s contribution to troll society to 2 wrigglers.

"See there, that’s my b0y wriggler. And these new 0nes make my girl wriggler!"

"How can you even tell? They’re jutht pailth right now!"

"My pails, my ch0ice!"

"But the mother grub dethideth, not uth! At leatht that’th what I heard."

"D0 y0u see a m0ther grub here? I certainly d0n’t. And what d0 y0u mean, ‘uth’? Err, ‘us’."

"Can’t fill a pail by yourthelf, now can you?"

"0h h0w n0ble 0f y0u t0 v0lunteer y0ur services, yell0w bl00d!"

Sollux mock bowed to Aradia sitting next to him.

"No problem, red blood, my genetic material ith at your dithpothal."

Aradia couldn’t help but laugh at that.

"D0n’t let Equius hear y0u talking like that, it’s ‘highly una%eptable’ f0r a yell0w bl00d t0 be 0f service t0 a l0wely red bl00d!"

"Oh Equiuth can thtick that thtupid blood cathte junk up his ath for all I care!"

"Sw00n, y0u’re such a rebel!"

"The rebelitht rebel in all of rebeldom!"

"Yes, if such a thing existed, y0u w0uld definitely be it!"

Sollux got up on his knees and kneeled in a valiant manner, pretending to be a brave warrior. He tied a blanket around his neck to simulate a cape, adding to the effect quite nicely.

"I’m the rebel. It’th me. Thaving Alternia from the fortheth of, um, non-rebeldom!"

"D0es the rebel need a sidekick?"

"Of courthe! What would a rebel be without hith loyal and beautiful thidekick?"

Aradia giggled at the compliment, while Sollux grabbed another blanket and tied it around her neck. Perfect, now his sidekick looked valiant as well!

"I now pronounthe you the rebelitht rebel in all of rebeldom’th thidekick!"

"Thank y0u, y0ur rebelness! Humble sidekick me is f0rever grateful for thy rebel-like kindness!"

"You’re quite welcome, thidekick! And now, we thhall...um...we thhall..."

Sollux lowered his voice so as to not to ruin the effect he worked so hard to create.

"Hey AA, what thhould we do?"

"We c0uld...um..."

She eyed the pail pieces on the board game they had abandoned.

"0h, we c0uld break th0se wrigglers 0ut 0f the caverns!"

"Ooh I like that idea, okay. Ahem, we thhall break the wrigglerth out of the cavernth!"

Aradia laughed, and then quickly stopped. This was a serious moment. Rebelling is not something to take lightly, especially when little wrigglers were involved!

"Yes, t0 the caverns! L00k at th0se little wrigglers, they are in need of rebelling!"

"Indeed they are. We mutht rebel for them!"

"Wh0 are we rebelling against?"

"Um...the Imperial Droneth! Yeth that’th it. They know not about the wonderth of rebelneth, for they have yet to experienthe it themthelveth!"

"H0w tragic!"

"Very tragic. Tho they will get in our way becauthe they don’t underthand how valiant a deed we are performing!"

"D0n’t w0rry wrigglers, we will get ar0und them!"

"Pchoo, pchoo!"

"Pch000000!"

"We defeated the Imperial Droneth! They now bow down to uth!"

"Yay!"

"Hello little wrigglerth, we’re here to break you out!"

Sollux picked up a couple of buckets, and Aradia picked up the others.

"You are thafe with uth!"

"‘Thank y0u y0ur rebelness, y0u and y0ur sidekick have saved us! We’re f0rever in y0ur gratitude!’ they cheer."

"It wath no trouble at all! We thhall leave you to live your liveth now, while we rebel for other creatureth on Alternia and the galaxy!"

"W00h! We’re s0 amazing, we can rebel f0r every0ne in existence!"

"Yeth we can! But thome other time perhapth. For now, thith rebel would like a nap!"

And with that said, he leaned back and laid on the floor, one eye closed behind bicolor glasses, the other open to watch her reaction. It certainly was a surprised one.

"0h! Um, 0kay. Nap time f0r the rebels, then! W0uld his rebelness n0t prefer t0 nap in his sidekick’s rec00perac00n?"

"No thank you, thidekick. The floor ith thuitable!"

She sat there for a moment and watched him. He thought it odd that she wasn’t doing anything, until he realized...

"Oh! Pardon me, would the thidekick like to nap with the rebel?"

"Yes, yes she w0uld!"

Aradia crawled over to him and snuggled close for warmth. If a human had happened upon this scene, they would comment that she was using him as a makeshift pillow, and then smile at ‘how adorably cute that is!’

Sollux was simply content with the arrangement. He’d never been much of a fan of physical contact (though most trolls aren’t either) but there was something about being close to Aradia that he was perfectly fine with. Personal space didn’t matter with her; she could take up all the space she wanted.

He pondered over things as he felt himself drifting a bit. Mostly, he pondered over the Aries who seemed to have fallen asleep already. He’d known her since they were very young, only a couple sweeps old. Whenever he was in one of his moods (which was often) she was one of the few who could calm him down. And when the dead were also in a foul mood and irritated Aradia nonstop, he would comfort her and distract her from the voices. In retrospect, if their feelings hadn’t been much redder, they would have made a pretty good moirailallegiance. But being matesprits was just as great.

As he drifted closer and closer to unconsciousness, he became aware of a faint beating feeling. He knew the feeling like the back of his hand, and he smiled at it. When there’s no space between them, when she’s so close that he can feel her heart beat, his own heartbeat speeds up. Just a subconscious reflex he could never control, but he was fine with it. He liked it. Loved it, even.

Later, after all was said and done, when things were gained and others lost, the one thing he would miss the most were these moments with her. Just lying there, doing absolutely nothing, listening to her sleep and feeling her heart beat, his own heart eventually beating in sync with hers. It was something he couldn’t recreate, and with another troll it was just never the same.

But now was not the time for missing her. Because at that moment, he still has her.

**Author's Note:**

> So...um the story isn't so much heartbeat-centered like I planned it to be but...I like how it came out so...yeah.  
> Hope this was decent enough.  
> Oh, and new headcanon: Aradia's lusus was a ram and she called her Rammom (like how Karkat's crab lusus was Crabdad)


End file.
